Mar 29, 2000

I'm thrilled to see how many marathoners try the event for the first time each year. I'm concerned about how many who finish, then are really finished.

Some never go that far again, which is okay. Some stop running entirely, which could be alarming if this becomes a trend.

A woman who contacted me this week desperately wants not to join the once-and-out trend. "I loved training for the marathon, and I loved the focus that it gave me," she wrote. "This is mainly why I want to do it again. However, one of the other reasons I want to do it again is because I don't want to be one of those people that runs just one."

Her problem: "Basically, after the marathon, all I did was work for seven months. I'm not in shape at all. Can you give me a little encouragement?"

I told her this problem is fairly common among first-time marathoners. Getting down to the little runs can be harder than getting up for the Big One. These people need to shift their focus to the small rewards to be found in even the least spectacular runs.

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